The Washington critic., 1887-11-25
TOPICS OF THE DAY.
Forty Years as an Official Reporter
Of Senate Debates.
A CHAT WITH MR.. MURPHY.
How the Washington Guides Continue
to Make Good Living.

Austin of the Cincinnati Times. Star,
speaking of the guides" of Washing.
ton, says that they are permitted to fol.
low this business by the authorities,
and recognizing that they will be de.
prived of this privilege II they abuse
It, they conduct themselves In a proper
way and are, In good many cases, of
n good deal of assistance to people not
acquainted with the city. They are
more numerous at the Capitol than at
the White House grounds. For this
service they never set price. They
always leave 1t to the disposition and
generosity of the parties chaperoned.
But they are very "slick" about this.
If the sup offered is not enough, they
look at II in surprised sort Of way
and remark that gentlemen usually
give more than that" This of
course paralyzes the giver, espe.
cially II he Is accompanied by lady,
and he doubles the gift without word.
Bridal couples are the especial delight
of these gentry. They will follow them
up for squares, trying to get into their
good graces, confident that If they sue
ceed, a fat fee awaits them. From two
to five dollars, according TO the size of
the party and the time given, Is the
figure which they usually get. The
average visitor wants to see the White
House and the Capitol. If he Is so
lucky as to visit the White House be
tween 10 a. m. and . p. m. he is per
mitted to walk In, look over the large
vestibule room, walk across little
hall, and enter the great East
Room. AS rule this Is all that the
visitor sees OF the inside Of the White
House. A few are able, through
special pleas of friends, to get peep
at the Blue, Red and Green parlors.
If they happen TO see Colonel Lamont
they are delighted. If they see the
President they consider themselves
highly fortunate. If they see Mrs.
Cleveland entering her carriage or re.
10 death. Even II they catch sight of
Hector" galloping about the grounds
they are well satisfied.
~
In the handsomely finished stenog-
raphers' room, at the Senate end Of
the Capitol, says Washington cor.
respondent of the Tribune. l found ID.
+. Murphy, the official reporter of the
Upper House." The windows of his
office look out upon the spacious
grounds in front of the Capitol and
upon the new Congressional Library
Building, now In course Of construc.
tion. On tho ceilings are the horrible
p Of
Brumidi, and stretching around the
wall are long cases, filled with official
documents, bills and reports, which
may be needed at moments notice.
"Yes, It's nearly forty years now,
said Mr.. Murphy, musingly, "since !
began reporting the Senate proceed,
ings. A long time, isn't it2 And YET
1t has gone quickly, and with 1t good
many men OF great abilities and repu
tations." "Your recollections run
back as far as Webster, then 2" "Oh,
yes, remember Webster very well-a
very slow, careful speaker, easy to re
port, because of the extreme modera
tion with which he spoke. Yes, re
ported Webster and Clay and Cass
and, later on, the great men who took
their places-Sumner and Seward and
all the others" "How do the pub
lie men of the day compare with
those Of former times? Has there
really been deterioration of the genu:
statesman, as is SO frequently asserted
nowadays?" mo; on the contrary,
think that Congress, taken as a whole
averages better now than 1t did In
earlier days. There are not, perhaps
just now, any very great minds which
tower above all the rest, as seemed tC
be the case with Webster and few
others then and since; but take the
average statesman then and now, and
think he of to-. day bears comparison
very WE'LL" How long has Congress!
been geographically reported?'' "Tht
Senate was first 80 reported In 1913
There were one or two attempts earlier
but they were unsatisfactory and soor
abandoned. The present system
began In 1S4S In the Senate, and
about 1850 In the House, and ha,
been continued since" "Do you think
the present system which permits mem
beIs to revise their speeches before
publication will ever be abolished u
"There has always been good deal Of
talk about II, but 1t never amounted L
anything, and never will. | remember
that twenty years ago jeff Davi
was one of the most vigorous In de
nouncing revision, so.called,s and II
urging that the debates be printed ex
actly as they occurred. And yet Davil
was one Of the fastest speakers of thu
Senate at hat time, and It would seen
that II anybody needed to revise hi
Iomarks or the stenographic report o
them II would be no." ."Dld he Offer
do ny" mo. He scarcely eve
looked at his speeches In manuscript.
-.
Says q New York letter: EXSecre
tary Manning has settled in the quie
life OF man who realizes that he ha
no strength to spare. He rises al $
breakfasts at 0, and, after glauclng a
the papers, Is driven from his home, a
No. 90 Fifth avenue, to the bank aoou
II. At2 he is driven home, whcr
dinner usually awaits him, and, afte
dinner, drives through Central Parl
with Mrs. Manning or his daughter
After light supper he reads, or re
Ceives callers until 10, when he retire
to his room for the night. A majorit
of his callers are politicians, to whoy
he listens eagerly and talks but little,
The Electric Hallway Motor.
successful trip was made In New Yor
Wednesday afternoon 10 surface car, prt
l.I l,, - tI., oil tha Frn ) h